Web fed rotary variable repeat cutter-creaser system

ABSTRACT

A web fed rotary variable repeat cutter-creaser system is provided for the packaging industry which is to be fed from a web stock of material either printed or unprinted or both. This system consists basically of a pair of large diameter, very heavy walled drums on which can be mounted a pair of cutting and creasing dies. These dies are in the form of a sheet metal blanket into which the shape to be cut and creased have been chemically milled. The dies are mounted on these two drums so that as they rotate together, the dies will match one another in a registered position. A feeder is provided for the die cylinders which has the qualities of feeding a selected length of material, yet is continuously supplied from roll web stock of material. A crank working directly from the die cylinders wraps a storage integral of the web about a drum, then unwraps and advances it periodically. Swing rolls are oscillated by the crank arm and these are geared to a mechanism for advancing or retarding the fed portion of the web of material in accord with registration marks on the web stock.

United States Patent Steinmetz [72] Inventor: Floyd Steinmetz, Timonium,Md.

[73] Assignee: The Rotographic Machinery Company,

Baltimore, Md.

22 Filed: Jan. 30, 1969 [21] Appl. No.: 795,326

[ 52] US. Cl. ..93/58.2 R, 53/51, 83/313, 93/1 G, 93/33 R, 226/142 [51]Int. Cl. ..B3lb l/l6, 1331b 17/14, B65b 57/00 [58] Field ofSearch.93/58, 58.2, 58.3, 80, 93 DP,

- 93/1 G, 33;226/1l3,1l4,141,142,156,160;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS R25,736 3/1965 Willbrandt..53/51 2,977,730 4/1961 Ardner..... ....53/51 3,252,640 5/1966 Huck...53/51 X 3,383,991 5/1968 Sarka ..93/1 G 3,438,310 4/1969 Woodruffi;..93/33 X WEB FED ROTARY VARIABLE REPEAT CUTTER-CREASER SYSTEM [451 June6, 1972 Primary Examiner-Wayne A. Morse, .lr. Attomey-Walter G. FinchABSTRACT A web fed rotary variable repeat cutter-creaser system isprovided for the packaging industry which is to be fed from a web stockof material either printed or unprinted or both. This system consistsbasically of a pair of large diameter, very heavy walled drums on whichcan be mounted a pair of cutting and creasing dies. These dies are inthe form of a sheet metal blanket into which the shape to be cut andcreased have been chemically milled. The dies are mounted on these twodrums so that asthey rotate together, the dies will match one another ina registered position. A feeder is provided for the die cylinders whichhas the qualities of feeding a selected length of 18 Claims, 8 Drawingfigures PATENTEDJUN 61972.

sum 1 or 4 I INVENTOR FLOYD STE/NMETZ ATTORNEY PATENTEDJUN 6 I972 3 667.3 54 SHEET 2 or 4 CRANK PA 7'H DIE DRUMS GUIDE BARS 28 OSCILLAT/NG DRIVEROLLS FIG. 2. BEGIN FORWARD MOT/0N curn va 0,5

W FIG. 3.

BEGIN our WEB SPEED=DIE DRUMS SPEED 29 ['76. 8. 86 94 REGISTERCOMPENSATOR CONTROL SENSO\ ACTUATOR 96 INVENTOR OPERATORS 92 PANEL ANDFLOYD STEI/VMETZ CONTROLLER ROLL ANGULAR POSITION MON/TOR m ATTORNEYPATENTEBJun we SHEET 3 BF 4 FIG. 4.

STOP FORWARD MOT/0N V STARTREARWARD MOT/0N.

END our INVENTOR FLOYD STE/NMETZ ww m w/r/JmAw WEB TTORNEY WEB FEDROTARY VARIABLE REPEAT CUTTER- CREASER SYSTEM This invention relatesgenerally to cutting and creasing machines, and more particularly itpertains to a web fed rotary variable repeat cutter-creaser system foruse in the packaging industry. This invention is an improvement over theinvention of a co-pending patent application, Ser. No. 743,748, filedJuly 10, 1968 by Henry D. Ward, Jr., and Floyd (n.m.i.) Steinmetzentitled Web Fed Rotary Variable Repeat Cutter- Creaser System."

One of the major unsolved problems facing industry today relates to diecutting, creasing, embossing, or printing continuous webs of materialwith an infinite variety of repeat lengths.

In the past, the method for producing a variable cut or print length ona web stock of material has been to either change the diameter of theprinting or cutting cylinder of the machine to suit the repeat lengththat is being produced on the web, or secondly to feed a variable lengthof web material between two heavy tables or platens which can then cutthe particular length of web fed between them. At that point, theplatens open again, and again a length of web of material is fed intothem.

Another method to accomplish the above has been to first cut the web ofmaterial into sheets of the length required and then to feed the sheetsthrough a platen or between rotary drums. in this last method, ofcourse, there is no problem with feeding a variable sheet length.Whatever sheet is fed into the machine, can simply pass straight onthrough the machine and it is only necessary to feed one sheet perrevolution of the machine to produce a variable cut or print length.

To clarify matters, it is well to define variable repeat length" here.By this, it is meant that adjustments can be made to a cuttencreasertype system to cut any length of stock required within the specificlimits. Out of the material that is being fed through the system, thelength of cut must be variable in the direction of sheet travel and if aweb stock of material is being fed through a cutter-creaser, this stockmay be printed with a repeat pattern, with one printed patternappearing, for example, every 25 inches on the sheet.

if the sheet is to be cut into paperboard containers, such as for icecream containers, the cut length must be positioned directly and exactlyon the printed matter and the cut length must be exactly the length ofthe repeat of the printing without cumulative error. The next order, forinstance, could be bacon board made from a different and unprinted rollof paper stock, and the repeat might by 38 inches long, for example.

Basically, the problem is to produce this variable repeat length of cutaccurately. To produce the highest running speeds, it is desirable touse a pure rotary motion for the cutting action. This is because thecutting and creasing loads are of a fairly high magnitude and this meansthat the structural members, such as the platen tables, which are usedin platen presses, have to be extremely massive to be rigid enough toresist deflection under the cut and crease loads and, therefore, areciprocating motion of the cutting mass and limits the physical speedof the machine. For this reason, it was found that a pure rotary motionof a pair of drums lends itself to much higher running speeds.

Secondly, it was deemed essential that there be a smooth feed of the webstock of material into the system. On a platen press, for example, thestock must be fed into the machine while the platen tables are open. Theweb stock of material has to be stopped and held in a stationaryposition while the platens are brought together for the cuttingoperation. This, of course, means that the running motion of the machinehas momentarily stopped and therefore, production has, in effect, beenlost. Thirdly, it was necessary to use drums of a fixed diameter onwhich there are mounted cutting dies or perhaps printing plates or diesof different lengths to eliminate the requirement to physically changedrums in order to produce a different drum circumference which, in turn,would produce a different sheet length or repeat length.

It is common, for instance, on milk container rotary cuttercreasers tomanufacture the entire machine for a specific sheet length, with aspecific diameter of drum being used.

On various web printing presses in order to change repeat lengths, it isnecessary to change the entire drum which carries the printing dies orplates to obtain the exact repeat length desired. in a regular jobbingshop for producing a variety of different types and kinds of boxes, thisconversion or interchange of drums is a time consuming operation and isundesirable because of high cost.

It is also highly desirable to have a web fed machine rather than asheet fed machine in order to allow the most economical use of paperstock. Quite often the shape which is to be cut from the paper stock isirregular and it is often designed so that the cut patterns willinterlock with one another, thereby reducing the amount of waste paperaround the edge of the cut.

Obviously, if the stock must be cut into sheets and then printed and diecut, these sheets will be rectangular and all of the material around theedges of these irregular blanks will be lost. On the other hand, if aregular web fed machine is used, the irregular cuts can be planned tointerlock with one another and reduce the waste stock to a minimum.

In boxes of this type, the cost of the material itself is a largeportion of the cost of the box and any savings that can be introducedinto the operation through a reduction in the amount of material usedhas a very real and very direct effect on the cost of the boxesthemselves.

In the initial design disclosed in our co-pending application, Ser. No.743,748 filed July 10, 1968 entitled Web Fed Rotary Variable RepeatCutter-Creaser System, a free storage loop was formed in the incomingweb. This resulted in an unsupported web length between the feed rollsand the swing rolls which repeatedly built up and collapsed. This slackweb has been found troublesome to accurate edge guiding and required arather elaborate photoelectric loop scanner. Further, the feed rollswhich introduced the web to the loop had to be synchronized to the maindrive motor and there was always a possibility of slippage of the web inthe nip.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide acutter-creaser system which positively feeds more accuratelypredetermined isolated increments of continuous web stock into the dierolls.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved variablerepeat cutter-creaser system which feeds a predetermined length ofpatterned material in register into the dies which are mounted in thedie cylinders.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved feedersystem for die cylinders which has the qualities of individual blankfeeding, yet is continuously supplied from web stock without reliance onsynchronized nip roller feed.

Other objects of this invention are to provide a web fed rotary variablerepeat cutter-creaser system in which variable repeat lengths of cut aremade at the highest running speeds of the system. The variation beingabsorbed by predetermined wrap action of stock about a drum.

To rovide a web fed rotary variable repeat cutter-creaser system whichis continuously fed with web stock of material without use of a firstloop is still another object of this inventron.-

Other objects and attendant advantages of the invention will become morereadily apparent and understood from the following detailedspecification and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a slide elevation in diagrammatic form embodying thecomponents of a web fed variable repeat cutter-creaser system;

FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are diagrammatic views showing in sequence, thestages of one cycle of operation of the members ofthe system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of a curve showing increase in webspeed versus crank angle from the cuttercreaser system of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic of a control arrangement for the web fed variablerepeat cutter-creaser system of the present invention.

Referring now to the details of the invention as shown in FIG. 1,reference numeral indicates generally a preferred embodiment of thenovel web fed rotary variable repeat cutter-creaser system of thisinvention. This system 10 will first be described generally and thenfollowed by a detailed description of the main parts thereof. A maindrive 12 attached to the structure S of the system is the prime powersource at variable speed for the cutter-creaser system 10.

A main drive gear 13 on the drive 12 meshes with an idler gear 14 on ashaft 16. This idler gear 14 meshes with a gear 18, which is secured toan upper die drum 20 carrying dies 22 for creasing or cuttingoperations.

Another gear 24 meshes in l to 1V ratio with gear 18 and it is securedto a lower die drum 26 carrying the lower dies 28.

It should be understood the lower drurn 26 is adjustable ver tically,longitudinally and circumferentially by means not shown, to accommodaterespectively different web thicknesses of material and to register thedies 22 and 28.

The idler gear 14 also meshes with an input gear 30 of a positiveinfinitely variable drive 32. Because this drive 32 has a limited speedrange, a set of change gears 34A, 34B...etc. (only one of which is usedat any given time) is supplied for taking off the output of the drive32.

To mesh with the different diameters of these change gears, an idlergear 36 is provided, which is joumaled on a trunnion 38. The trunnion 38is fastered to a saddle 40 which pivots about a shaft 52. A yoke 42which is joumaled with the idler gear 36 has an adjusting screw 44extended through a threaded post 46. Post 46 is pivotally secured to thestructure S of the system 10. In this manner, by advancing the adjustingscrew 44, the idler gear 36 can be advanced from the position shown insolid lines to the position 36A shown in phantom lines to accommodatethe largest diameter gear 34A or the smallest gear 34B of the changegear set previously mentioned.

The idler gear 36 further meshes with a gear 48 secured on one end of adrum 49. The diameter of drum 49 equals the pitch diameter of the gear48 and both rotate co-axially on the shaft 52. Oscillating arms 50 alsopivot on the shaft 52 and they carry a pair of swing feed rolls 54 and60. The upper swing feed roll 54 has a gear 56 which is meshed with thegear 48 and also meshes with a gear 58 on the lower swing feed roll 60,the latter in 1 to 1 ratio.

A connecting rod or crank 62 from a pivot 64 on the oscillating arms 50extends to a crank disc 66 and is coupled thereto by a crank pin. Thiscrank disc 66 is attached by bolts 70 to'the end of the diedrum 20. Thisattachment is circumferentially adjustable through the medium of arcuateslots 68 for the bolts 70 and thus varies the relative phase anglebetween the sweep of the crank 62 and the rotation of the dies 22.

The strobe length of the connecting rod or crank 62 is adjustable bymeans of a slot 72 which receives the crank pin and allows the pivotalradius to be selected.

A buffer or air cushion is provided at reference 74, the cylinderofwhich is pivoted at 76 from the machine structure S. The piston rod 78of this air cushion 74 is attached to the oscillating arms 50 with aconnecting pin 80.

Reference numerals 82 and 83 designate idler rolls over which in namedsequence the roll stock material web W passes in the direction of thearrows. It then passes as shovm, first over the drum 49 and then upperswing feed roll 54. The web W is carried halfway around the latter topass through the nip comprising rolls 54 and 60 in conjunction. A guide88 defines a path for the web stock W to the engagement line of diedrums 20 and 26. Clearance grooves 90 in the swing feed roll 60 areprovided for the guide 88 with the latter having a suitable, radius ofcurvature to accommodate the sweep as arms 50 oscillate. A negative airpressure is maintained within the extended length of guide 88.

This air pressure is communicated to the web stock W through means notshown in the guide 88 such as open tops or perforations.

A register control sensor 86 which through well-known means such asprinted marks on the web stock W viewed by light sensitive cells,signals the positive infinitely variable drive transmission 32 to causea readjustment of the speed of output to correct misregister of printedmatter on the web stock W with the dies 22 and 28.

The drum 49 is provided to allow a first reservoir length of web stock,to accumulate thereabout from the web stock W at certain times in thecycle of operation. Midway in the cycle of operation, this reservoirlength of web transfers to form a raised loop over the discharge end ofguide 88 as noted by comparing FIGS. 2 and 4. in FIGS. 5 and 6, the drumreservoir length is being accumulated, while FIG. 3 shows the system 10in the position of the beginning cut.

The type of dies 22 and 28 envisioned for use on this cuttercreasersystem 10 are of the chemically etched or milled type as described inUS. Pat. No. 3,244,335 issued Apr. 5, 1966, entitled Method for FormingSeverance Lines," issued to R. H. Downie. Of course, it is not essentialthat the cutter-creaser system 10 be limited to these specific dies 22and 28. Conventional rotary dies such as are used for the manufacture ofmilk containers would be perfectly satisfactory for mounting on the diedrums 20 and 26.

Fixed ahead of these rotary drums 20 and 26 as previously indicated byreference to FIG. 1 are the pair of swing feed rolls 54 and 60, whichare mounted on the pair of oscillating arms 50 which, in turn, arelinked together with the heavy torque shaft 52 to make sure that theswing feed rolls 54 and 60 rock back and forth and remain parallel tothe two die drums 20 and 26.

The swing feed rolls 54 and 60 are geared together and are driven by thelarge gear 48 which is mounted on the center line of the torque shaft 52previously mentioned. As the two swing feed rolls 54 and 60 rock backand forth on their arms 50 about the center of the torque shaft 52,their gears also rock back and forth around the large drive gear 48.

This means that a web stock W of material which is gripped between thesetwo swing feed rolls 54 and 60 is driven by a speed which is the sum ofthe rotational speed of the large gear 48 plus the additional speedimparted by the rotation of the roll drive gears 56 and 58 about thelarge gear48 plus'the linear forward displacement of the swing feedrolls 54 and 60 themselves so that what is produced is a curve of motionwhich is the sum of a continuous speed which is the average speed of theweb stock W and which is then modified by a speed which varies somewhatlike a sine wave, upwards and downwards once each revolution of the maindrums 20 and 26, as best illustrated in FIG. '7. It is assured that thiswave is produced once each revolution of the die drums 20 and 26 becausethe arms 50 on which the swing feed rolls 54 and 60 are mounted arelinked back to the crank pin on the drum 20.

It should be pointed out that the large gear 48, which is sometimescalled a bull gear and which is mounted on the torque or rocker shaft isalso geared back through the gear train and the variable speedtransmission 32 to the gears 30, 14 and 13 which drive the two maincutting drums 20 and 26. This allows a variation of the speed of thebull gear 48 and, therefore, the average feeding speed of the twoswingfeed rolls 54 and 60 by varying the gear ratios in the gear train andalso by varying the drive ratio through the variable speed transmission32.

Turning now to the speed curve ofFIG. 7, there is shown, for example, acondition in which the main drums 20 and 26 are running at such a speedas to produce a surface speed on the dies 22 and 28 of 980 surface feetper minute at a predetermined speed. If, for example, a repeat length onthe web stock W of 57.7 inches is to be cut, the gear ratio would beadjusted by the variable-speed transmission 32 to produce an averagefeed into the system 10 of 750 feet per minute surface speed on the feedrolls 54 and 60. This produces a dif ferential in feeding speed of theweb stock W relative to the cutting dies 22 and 28 of 230 feet perminute.

This speed of 230 feet per minute is then added to the feeding speed ofthe web stock W by the forward rocking motion of the swing feed rolls 54and 60 about the torque shaft 52. This means that at the instant of thebeginning of the cut, the web stock W of material will be entering thecutting point directly between the two die drums 20 and 26 atsubstantially the surface speed of the cutting dies 22 and 28.

If, then, it is desired to change the system to produce a cut repeatlength of 28.8 inches, this would, of course, necessitate changing thelength of the cutting dies 22 and 28 on the drums and 26 to new dieswhich are 28.8 inches long. The varying cut length is produced by simplyvarying the length of the cut pattern on that die 27 and 28.

Let is now be assumed that a die 22 .and 28 have been mounted on cuttingdrums 20 and 26 which cutting length is 28.8 inches. The gears can bechanged, together with the setting of the variable speed transmission 32to produce a web speed of 375 feet per minute. This produces a speeddifferential if the drums 20 and 26 are run with the surface speed of980 feet per minute as previously mentioned. This produces adifferential of 605 feet per minute between the die speed and the webspeed. The motion of the arms 50 can be adjusted to cause the additionof 605 feet per minute by moving the swing feed rolls 54 and 60 forwardat a corresponding speed, so that once again the web stock W is insertedinto the leading edge of the cutting dies 22 and 28 between the twodrums 20 and 26 at a net 980 feet per minute.

The correcting action of the swing fed rolls 54 and 60 and their affecton the web stock W can be adjusted by selecting a different point on thespeed curve of FIG. 7. This is, done by moving the crank pin which ismounted on the end of cutting drum 20. The angular relationship of thatcrank pin to the leading edge of the cutting dies 22 and 28 can bemoved. This in effect means that the web stock W is inserted between thecutting dies 22 and 28 at a higher point on the speed curve of the rollmotion to produce a greater speed correcting action, such as is requiredfor short cut lengths. Or, the crank pin can be adjusted to a differentposition to cause the web stock W to be inserted between the cuttingdies 22 and 28 at a lower point on the speed curve such as a point nearthe end of the roll stroke where the forward motion of swing feed rolls54 and 60 is relatively much smaller. This would be the case forinstance when a longer cut length is being fed.

In the particular design of system 10, the crank pin which produces therocking motion of the swing feed rolls 54 and 60 drums 20 and 26. Forthis reason, a series of vacuum bars 88 were added along the track ofthe web stock W from the swing feed rolls 54 and 60 into the die cutdrums 20 and 26 and these bars 88 are equipped with a perforated surfacethrough which a slight suction is applied. This suction effort will bejust enough to be sure that the web stock W of material is held firmlyalong the surface of the guides and yet will still be free to. slide.This will have the effect of definitely controlling the position of theweb stock W and will impart a certain amount of support to the web stockW to prevent buckling as the protruding end of the web stock W isaccelerated forward into' the nip of the cutting dies 22 and 28. Inaddition, the curve of the guides will impart a slight curve to'the webstock W to increase its stability.

As previously indicated, a series pair of idler rolls 82 and 83 areprovided to obtain maximum angle of wrap of the web on the drum 49. Thedrum 49 operating at a constant predetermined speed will pull the ,webstock W of material from the primary roll or other source. The materialwould be lead through an edge guiding and tension controlling set ofequipis mounted on the end of the rotary cutting drum 20. Of

course, it is not necessary that this crank pin be located there. itcould be mounted on any gear in the drive train which makes onerevolution per revolution of the cutting drum 20. A

simple crank motion has been used for the connecting rod or crank 62such as shown in FIG. 1, materially for simplicity. It would also bepossible to drive the oscillating arms 50 with a cam mechanism or anysimilar device.

In system 10, a combination of changed gears together with a variablespeed transmission 32 produces the varying driving speed between the diecut drums 20 and 26 and the bull gear 48.

This was done specifically this way because the change gears give anabsolute speed ratio. Unfortunately, one set of change gears must varyfrom the next by a fixed increment of whole numbers of teeth and here itwas desirable to have an infinitely variable ratio without steps fromone cut length to another. Therefore, the variable speed transmission 32was introduced into the creaser-cutter system 10. Its speed adjustmentrange is quite narrow and its purpose is simply to allow for a slightmodification to the particular gear ratio which has been selected so asto give a smooth and infinite transition of speed ratios from that whichis produced from one change gear set to the next.

It is to be noted that one problem foreseen'in inserting the web stock Winto the cutting dies 22 and 28 is the fact that a relatively long freeend of web stock W is being pushed from the drum 49 and swing feed rolls54 and into the die cut ment which is conventional in the industry.

System 10 was developed as afpure rotary machine, with no highaccelerations and decelerations to throw off the accuracy 1 of themachine with the sole exception of the rocking motion of the swing feedrolls 54 and 60.

In order to smooth out the affect of the acceleration of the rockingmechanism, a link from the rocking or oscillating arms 50 was addedwhich carry the swing feed rolls 54 and 60 back to the frame of thesystem 10. This link is in effect the air cushion cylinder 74 whichoperates more or less like a shock absorber. The compression of air inthe air cushion cylinder 74 on the return stroke of the rolls 54 and 60,for instance, will contribute to decelerating the rocking or oscillatingarms 50 and the swing feed rolls 54 and 60. On the feed stroke, ofcourse, the pressure which has been built up against the swing of arm 50will assist in accelerating it and the rolls 54 and 60 in the forwarddirection.

Generally, a printed repeat patternis provided on the web stock W ofmaterial being fed into the system 10. A set of change gears has beenprovided, together with a speed ratio in the variable speedtransmission32 so as toproduce the same cut length in the system 10 thatoccurs in the web stock W on the printed matter. Of course, this canonly be done to a certain degree of accuracy. This error would occur forinstance, in the setting of the variable speed transmission 32.

It may also occur in the length of the printed repeat on the web stockW. For example, if the material of the web stock W stretches or shrinksslightly through its length due to changes in moisture content, therepeat length will change slightly and it is necessary for the system 10to automatically correct itself as it runs so that each cut will belocated directly on each printed pattern.

For example, if only one thousandths of an inch error is being made incut length, after one thousand cuts, one whole inch of material would beout of register unless a continuous correction were made.

Thus, to remedy this error, the scanning eye or register control sensor86 has been added. This register control sensor .86 is a photocell whichis located directly over the web stock W where is applies upon drum 49.This eye would pick up a register mark which is part of the printedmatter. It picks up the position of the printing on the web stock W. Anadditional sensor or roll angular position monitor 92 is provided asshown in FIG. 1 on the end of one of the cutting drums, for example,drum 20 which continuously senses the position of the cutting drum 20 inthe system 10, that is, its rotary or angular position. A signal fromeach of sensor 86 and monitor 92 is then fed back into an electricalcontrol system 96, as shown in FIG. 8, which is more or less a computerwhich then, taking these two sensing signals, can detect any error inthe desired position of the cutting drum 20 and 26 relative to theprinted web stock W.

At this point, an error signal can be sent to a small motor orcompensator actuator 94 which, in turn, controls the speed ratio settingin the variable speed transmission 32 causing the transmission tointroduce a correction into the gear train which is driving the swingfeed rolls 54 and 60. This, in turn, will advance or retard the materialof the web stock W slightly so that the'cut will then be continuouslyre-registered to the printed matter on the sheet at each cut. This willinsure that although some error does occur, or can occur, in each cutlength, this'error can be limited to within a very small margin. It isto be noted that this system 10 has been developed to detect a printedregister mark on the web stock W of material.

. Of course, this mark need not be a printed mark or even a mark at all.It can, for example, be a magnetic impulse which is imparted to the webstock W of material at the required intervals or it could be a holepunched through the web stock W of material.

In the cutter-creaser system 10 described so far, there are two drumsand 26 involved, each of which carries a sheet metal type cutting andcreasing die 22 and 28, respectively. Of course, the general principlesof this system 10 can be applied, for-example, to a variable repeat webfed printing press in which one drum would simply be a smooth cylinderto back up the web stock W of material. The other drum, for example,would carry the printing dies or plates which would be inked bya'conventional inking mechanism. Or, if, for example, the system were tobe used as a somewhat simplified form of cutting and creasing system, asingle set of dies could be made by inserting a cutting rule in thecurved plywood for example.

This type of die is currently being used on sheet fed rotary die cuttersfor corrugated board and the like.

In that particular instance, the system would be designed so that onedrum would accept the curved plywood die. The opposed drum would then becovered with a continuous blanket of resilient material such aspolyurethane and this would allow the cutting blades in the die to drivethrough the web stock being cut into the polyurethane.

Another possible variation of the cutter-creaser system 10 would be asasheeter. A sheeter is a machine which takes a web stock of material andsimply cuts it into sheets. In this case, for example, there need onlybe one drum which would carry a blade running along its length. It iscommon in sheeters for the matching blade to simply be a beam with acutting edge on it mounted under the drum. As the cutting edge of theblade passes over the corner of the beam, a shearing cut is produced. Inthis type of design of the system, for example, there would onlybe onedrum involved and a fixed beam would supply the other cutting member. Inthe case of the sheeter with only one drum, the rest of the mechanismthat has been described here would still be used to produce the variablelength of sheet feed per cut.

. There is another possible version of system 10, for example, where thetwo drums 20 and 26 would be the main blanketcovered drums of an offsetpress. In this example, the top and bottom of the sheet could be printedon and the printed matter could be applied to both drums at the sametime be a regular offset printing press mechanism.

Of course, with that kind of an application the change gears andvariable speed transmission 32 and the rest of the feeding mechanismwould still be the same. The only thing that would change would be theparticular surface configuration of the drums themselves.

Another possible variation to this design includes the variable speedratio equipment between the cutting drums 20 and 26 and the bull gear48, with a combination of change gears and a variable speed transmission32 being used. It is known that infinitely variable speed transmissionshave a small percentage of error of the speed ratio through thetransmission 32. In this instance of the present system 10, transmission32 has been used to give a speed variation in very small incrementswhich can be obtained by making a small change in the change gear ratio.Using the system this way, any error which matures through the variablespeed transmission 32 is only a to use change gears at all. The totalcontrol of sheet lengthrange could be obtained by taking the entiredrive ratio change in the transmission 32 itself and any slight errorswhich this extremely accurate transmission might produce would then becontrollable by the atuomatic scanning and correcting devices,previously mentioned.

There is one other modification which is desirable to be made to thecutter-creaser system 10 under certain circumstances, which is theability to adjust the radius of the crank pin at the end of theconnecting rod 62, that is, the radius from the center of the crank pinto the center of the drum 20. This crank pin, through the connecting rod62, drives the rocking motion of the swing feed rolls 54 and 60. It maybe desirable to change this radius of the crank pin for difierent sheetlength conditions, in order to produce the very minimum necessaryacceleration in the rocking mechanism for each particular sheet length.This adjustment will only be necessary in case it is desired to run thesystem 10 at very high web speeds such as in the neighborhood of 1,000feet per minute or better. i

As previously mentioned, the oscillating arms 50 which carry the swingfeed rolls 54 and 60 are connected to the shock absorbing type cushioncylinder 74'to help absorb or level out the accelerating anddecelerating forces which are produced by the linear back and forthmotion of the swing feed rolls 54 and 60 themselves. Of course, theseswing feed rolls 54 and 60 are also accelerating and decelerating in arotary direction about their own centers because their driving gears arerocking back and forth around the bull gear 52' which drives them.

This introduces also a rotary accelerating and decelerating force backand through the gear train and for extreme accuracy it is desirable toabsorb and level out back load. 7

To do this, an extra gear (not shown) has been connected to the bullgear 48. This extra gear drives a hydraulic pumping system. The valvingin this system is such that once each revolution the connections throughthe hydraulic system are reversed so that the pump which is connected tothis extra gear alternately becomes first a pump and then a hydraulicmotor; so, during that period 'of the cycle in which the full gear 48 isattempting to accelerate the swing feed rolls 54 and 60, the hydraulicsystem is valved to produce an auxiliary assist to the driving motion,and it helps to smooth out theloads back" through the gear train. Duringthat portion of the cycle when the bull gear 48 is attempting todecelerate the rotary motion of the swing feed rolls 54 and 60, thevalving is then reversed so that this gear becomes the drive gear for apump and it then absorbs the energy which is produced by thedeceleration of the swing feed rolls 54 and 60.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention arepossible in light of the above teachings. It is,

therefore, to be understood that within thescope of the ap-- pendedclaims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specificallydescribed. i

What is claimed is:

1. In a variable repeat length system for performing at least oneoperation on a web having structure including a work member positionedthereon for working on a continuously supplied web stock fed theretoduring each working cycle of said work member, the improvementcomprising a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, meansincluding an arcuate member for accumulating and storing thereonanintegral of said web stock and advancing said integral of web stockperiodically to said work member, and means coupled to said means foraccumulating and storing thereon said integral and controlled by saidstructure having said work member to cause said means for accumulatingand storing to feed the integral of web stock stored on saidaccumulating and storing means to said work member for operation thereonby said work member.

2. A variable repeat length system for performing at least one operationon a web comprising, structure including a work member positionedthereon for working on a continu ously supplied web stock fed theretoduring each working cycle of said work member, a pair of spaced guiderolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member toaccumulate and store thereon an integral of said web stock and advancesaid integral of web stock periodically to said work member, and meanscoupled to said means for accumulating and storing thereon said integraland to said structure having said work member to cause said means foraccumulating and storing to feed said integral of said web stock storedon said accumulating and storing means to said work member for operationthereon by said work member.

3. A variable repeat length system for performing at least one operationon a web, comprising, meansincluding a work member positioned thereonfor working on a continuously supplied web stock fed thereto during eachworking cycle of said work member, a pair of spaced guide rolls forguiding web stock, means including an arcuate member to accumulate,store thereon and feed an integral of said web stock and ad- Vance saidweb stock periodically to said work member, and means coupled to saidmeans for accumulating and storing said integral and to said meanshaving said work member to cause said means for accumulating and storingto feed said integral of web stock stored on said accumulating andstoring means to said work member for operation thereon by said workmember.

4. A rotary variable repeat length system for performing at least oneoperation on a web, comprising, means including at least one rotary drumhaving a work member positioned thereon for working on a web stock fedto said drum, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, meansincluding an arcuate member to accumulate, to store thereon and to feedan integral of said web stock, means for causing said feeding means totravel through one complete control cycle for each revolution of saidrotary drum, and means coupled to said feeding means and to said rotarydrum to cause said feeding means to feed said integral of web'stockstored on said accumulating and storing means to said rotary drum atsubstantiallythe surface speed thereof for operation thereon by saidwork member on said rotary drum.

5. A rotary variable repeat length system for performing at least oneoperation on a web, comprising, means including at least one rotary drumhaving a work member positioned thereon for working on a web stockhaving spaced indicia thereon fed to said drum; a pair of spaced guiderolls for guid- 'ing web stock, means including an arcuate member toaccumulate, to store thereon and to feed an integral of said web stockto said rotary drum, means for causing said feeding means to travelthrough one complete control cycle for each revolution of said rotarydrum, and means coupled to said feeding means and to said rotary drum tocause a change in the feeding action of said feeding means to correctfor misregister between said spaced indicia on said web stock and thework member on said rotary drum.

6. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system for performing atleast one operation on a web, comprising, means including a pair ofspaced rotary drums having work members positioned in register with oneanother thereon for working on a web stock fed between said rotarydrums, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, meansincluding an arcuate member to accumulate, to store thereon and to feedan integral of said web stock between said rotary drums, means forcausing said feeding means to travel through one complete control cyclefor each revolution of said rotary drums, and means coupled to saidfeeding means and to one of said rotary drums to cause said feedingmeans to feed said integral of web stock stored on said accumulating andstoring means to said rotary drums at substantially the surface speedthereof for operation thereon by said work members.

7. In a web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim6, wherein said feeding means which accumulates and stores thereon saidintegral of said web stock includes a pair of spaced members mountedthereon for receiving and feeding said web stock to said rotary drums.

8. In a web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim7, wherein said means coupled to said feeding means which accumulatesand stores thereon said integral of said web stock and to one of saidrotary drums includes a variable ratio drive mechanism.

9. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system for performing atleast one operation on a web, comprising, means including a pair ofspaced rotary drums having work members positioned in register with oneanother thereon for cutting and creasing sections from a web stockhaving spaced indicia thereon and fed between said rotary drums, a pairof spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuatemember to accumulate, to store thereon and to feed an integral of webstock to said rotary drums, means for causing said feeding means totravel through one complete control cycle for each revolution of saidrotary drums, drive means coupled to said feeding means and to one ofsaid rotary drums, and means for sensing said spaced indicia on said webstock and the angular position of said rotary drums and for signalingsaid drive means to cause a change in the feeding action of said feedingmeans in order to correct for misregister of said spaced indicia on saidweb stock and said work members on said rotary drums.

10. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim9, wherein said feeding means which accumulates and stores thereonsaidintegral of web stock is pivotally mounted and includes a pair 'of feedrolls for receiving and feeding said web stock to said rotary drums atsubstantially the surface speed thereof.

11. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim9, wherein said drive means is of the variable ratio type.

12. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim9, and additionally means for cushioning the movements of said feedingmeans.

13. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim9, wherein said work members are work dies for cutting,creasing-embossing and/or printing of said web stock.

14. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim9, and means for sensing and controlling the rate of feed of said webstock to said feeding means.

15. A web fed rotary infinite variable repeat cutter-creaser system,comprising, means including a pair of spaced rotary members having workelements positioned in register thereon for cutting-creasing sectionsfrom a web stock having spaced indicia thereon fed between said rotarymembers, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, meansincluding an arcuate member for accumulating and storing thereon anintegral of web stock and having spaced rolls mounted thereon arrangedto store and to receive an integral of said web stock between said rollsand feed integrals of web stock into said rotary members atsubstantially the surface speed thereof, means coupling saidaccumulating and storing means with one of said rotary members, avariable ratio drive means coupled to said accumulating and storingmeans and to said one rotary member, and means for sensing said spacedindicia on said web stock as well as the angular position of said rotarymembers and for signaling said variable ratio drive means to cause. areadjustment of the speed of output of said variable ratio drive meansto correct for misregister of said indicia on said web stock with saidwork elements on said rotary members.

16. A variable repeat length system for performing at least oneoperation on a web, comprising, means having a work member positionedthereon for working on a continuously supplied web stock having spacedindicia thereon fed to said work member during the working cyclethereof, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, meansincluding an member, means for causing said feeding means to travelthrough one complete control cycle for each cycle of operation of saidwork member, and means coupled to said feeding means and to said meanshaving said work member to cause a change in the feeding action of saidfeeding means to correct for misregister between said spaced indicia onsaid web stock and the work member.

17. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system for performing atleast one operation on a web, comprising, means including a pair ofspaced rotary members having work elements positioned in register withone another thereon for working ona continuously supplied web stock fedbetween said rotary members during the working cycle thereof, a pair ofspaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuatemember to accumulate and to store thereon an integral of said web andadvance said integral of web periodically to said work elements, meansfor causing said feeding means to travel through one complete controlcycle for each cycle of operation of said rotary members, and meanscoupled to said feeding means and to one of said rotary members to causesaid feeding means to feed said integral of web stock acjustment of thespeed of output of said drive means to correct cumulated and storedthereon to said rotary members at sub.-

stantially the surface speed thereof for operation thereon by member foraccumulating and storing thereon an integral of said web stock andfeeding saidintegral of web stock to said rotary members atsubstantially the surface speed thereof, means coupling said feedingmeans with one of said rotary members, drive means coupled to feedingmeans and to said one rotary member, and means for sensing said spacedindieia on said web stock as well as the angular position of said rotarymembers and for signaling said drive means to cause a readthemisregister of said indicia on said web stock with said work elements onsaid rotary members.

t I I t

1. In a variable repeat length system for performing at least one operation on a web having structure including a work member positioned thereon for working on a continuously supplied web stock fed thereto during each working cycle of said work member, the improvement comprising a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member for accumulating and storing thereon an integral of said web stock and advancing said integral of web stock periodically to said work member, and means coupled to said means for accumulating and storing thereon said integral and controlled by said structure having said work member to cause said means for accumulating and storing to feed the integral of web stock stored on said accumulating and storing means to said work member for operation thereon by said work member.
 2. A variable repeat length system for performing at least one operation on a web comprising, structure including a work member positioned thereon for working on a continuOusly supplied web stock fed thereto during each working cycle of said work member, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member to accumulate and store thereon an integral of said web stock and advance said integral of web stock periodically to said work member, and means coupled to said means for accumulating and storing thereon said integral and to said structure having said work member to cause said means for accumulating and storing to feed said integral of said web stock stored on said accumulating and storing means to said work member for operation thereon by said work member.
 3. A variable repeat length system for performing at least one operation on a web, comprising, means including a work member positioned thereon for working on a continuously supplied web stock fed thereto during each working cycle of said work member, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member to accumulate, store thereon and feed an integral of said web stock and advance said web stock periodically to said work member, and means coupled to said means for accumulating and storing said integral and to said means having said work member to cause said means for accumulating and storing to feed said integral of web stock stored on said accumulating and storing means to said work member for operation thereon by said work member.
 4. A rotary variable repeat length system for performing at least one operation on a web, comprising, means including at least one rotary drum having a work member positioned thereon for working on a web stock fed to said drum, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member to accumulate, to store thereon and to feed an integral of said web stock, means for causing said feeding means to travel through one complete control cycle for each revolution of said rotary drum, and means coupled to said feeding means and to said rotary drum to cause said feeding means to feed said integral of web stock stored on said accumulating and storing means to said rotary drum at substantially the surface speed thereof for operation thereon by said work member on said rotary drum.
 5. A rotary variable repeat length system for performing at least one operation on a web, comprising, means including at least one rotary drum having a work member positioned thereon for working on a web stock having spaced indicia thereon fed to said drum, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member to accumulate, to store thereon and to feed an integral of said web stock to said rotary drum, means for causing said feeding means to travel through one complete control cycle for each revolution of said rotary drum, and means coupled to said feeding means and to said rotary drum to cause a change in the feeding action of said feeding means to correct for misregister between said spaced indicia on said web stock and the work member on said rotary drum.
 6. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system for performing at least one operation on a web, comprising, means including a pair of spaced rotary drums having work members positioned in register with one another thereon for working on a web stock fed between said rotary drums, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member to accumulate, to store thereon and to feed an integral of said web stock between said rotary drums, means for causing said feeding means to travel through one complete control cycle for each revolution of said rotary drums, and means coupled to said feeding means and to one of said rotary drums to cause said feeding means to feed said integral of web stock stored on said accumulating and storing means to said rotary drums at substantially the surface speed thereof for operation thereon by said work members.
 7. In a web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim 6, wherein said feeding means which accumulates and stores thereOn said integral of said web stock includes a pair of spaced members mounted thereon for receiving and feeding said web stock to said rotary drums.
 8. In a web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim 7, wherein said means coupled to said feeding means which accumulates and stores thereon said integral of said web stock and to one of said rotary drums includes a variable ratio drive mechanism.
 9. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system for performing at least one operation on a web, comprising, means including a pair of spaced rotary drums having work members positioned in register with one another thereon for cutting and creasing sections from a web stock having spaced indicia thereon and fed between said rotary drums, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member to accumulate, to store thereon and to feed an integral of web stock to said rotary drums, means for causing said feeding means to travel through one complete control cycle for each revolution of said rotary drums, drive means coupled to said feeding means and to one of said rotary drums, and means for sensing said spaced indicia on said web stock and the angular position of said rotary drums and for signaling said drive means to cause a change in the feeding action of said feeding means in order to correct for misregister of said spaced indicia on said web stock and said work members on said rotary drums.
 10. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim 9, wherein said feeding means which accumulates and stores thereon said integral of web stock is pivotally mounted and includes a pair of feed rolls for receiving and feeding said web stock to said rotary drums at substantially the surface speed thereof.
 11. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim 9, wherein said drive means is of the variable ratio type.
 12. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim 9, and additionally means for cushioning the movements of said feeding means.
 13. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim 9, wherein said work members are work dies for cutting, creasing, embossing and/or printing of said web stock.
 14. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system as recited in claim 9, and means for sensing and controlling the rate of feed of said web stock to said feeding means.
 15. A web fed rotary infinite variable repeat cutter-creaser system, comprising, means including a pair of spaced rotary members having work elements positioned in register thereon for cutting-creasing sections from a web stock having spaced indicia thereon fed between said rotary members, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member for accumulating and storing thereon an integral of web stock and having spaced rolls mounted thereon arranged to store and to receive an integral of said web stock between said rolls and feed integrals of web stock into said rotary members at substantially the surface speed thereof, means coupling said accumulating and storing means with one of said rotary members, a variable ratio drive means coupled to said accumulating and storing means and to said one rotary member, and means for sensing said spaced indicia on said web stock as well as the angular position of said rotary members and for signaling said variable ratio drive means to cause a readjustment of the speed of output of said variable ratio drive means to correct for misregister of said indicia on said web stock with said work elements on said rotary members.
 16. A variable repeat length system for performing at least one operation on a web, comprising, means having a work member positioned thereon for working on a continuously supplied web stock having spaced indicia thereon fed to said work member during the working cycle thereof, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member to form and store thereon an integral of Said web and advance said integral of web periodically to said work member, means for causing said feeding means to travel through one complete control cycle for each cycle of operation of said work member, and means coupled to said feeding means and to said means having said work member to cause a change in the feeding action of said feeding means to correct for misregister between said spaced indicia on said web stock and the work member.
 17. A web fed rotary variable repeat length system for performing at least one operation on a web, comprising, means including a pair of spaced rotary members having work elements positioned in register with one another thereon for working on a continuously supplied web stock fed between said rotary members during the working cycle thereof, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member to accumulate and to store thereon an integral of said web and advance said integral of web periodically to said work elements, means for causing said feeding means to travel through one complete control cycle for each cycle of operation of said rotary members, and means coupled to said feeding means and to one of said rotary members to cause said feeding means to feed said integral of web stock accumulated and stored thereon to said rotary members at substantially the surface speed thereof for operation thereon by said work elements.
 18. A web fed rotary infinitely variable repeat cutter-creaser system, comprising, means including a pair of spaced rotary members having work elements positioned in register thereon for cutting-creasing printed carton sections from a continuously supplied web stock having spaced indicia thereon fed between said rotary members, a pair of spaced guide rolls for guiding web stock, means including an arcuate member for accumulating and storing thereon an integral of said web stock and feeding said integral of web stock to said rotary members at substantially the surface speed thereof, means coupling said feeding means with one of said rotary members, drive means coupled to feeding means and to said one rotary member, and means for sensing said spaced indicia on said web stock as well as the angular position of said rotary members and for signaling said drive means to cause a readjustment of the speed of output of said drive means to correct the misregister of said indicia on said web stock with said work elements on said rotary members. 